Cable clip

ABSTRACT

A cable routing clip for mounting on a wall having clip arms extending from one side of a crosspiece and mounting tabs extending from the other side, the clips arms and the mounting tabs generally linearly arranged, the clip defining a slot for receiving cables, and a movable gate extending from a distal end of one of the clip arms across the slot to the distal end of the other clip arm. A cable routing clip for mounting on a wall having clip arms extending from one side of a crosspiece and mounting tabs extending from the other side, the clip defining a slot for receiving cables, and a movable gate extending from a distal end of one of the clip arms across the slot to the distal end of the other clip arm.

This application is a continuation in part of U.S. application Ser. No.09/810,935, filed Mar. 16, 2001 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,539,161, which iscommonly owned and currently pending.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to fiber optic cable and other cablemanagement for use in telecommunications systems.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Telecommunications equipment utilizing optical fiber for signaltransmission is often mounted within equipment racks that permit a highdensity of connections to be made in a small space. A high density ofconnections means that a large number of optical fiber cables will needto be routed to and from the equipment, also in a small space. While thehigh density of connections possible with optical fiber is one of theprincipal reasons for utilizing optical fiber in this sort ofenvironment, organizing the large number of optical fiber cablesconnected to the equipment can be difficult. This difficulty most oftenarises with respect to the cross-connect or jumper cables connected tothese telecommunications racks. Copper systems also experience similarcable management issues.

The outside plant or interfacility cables connected to such equipmentare cables which by their nature do not require frequent disconnect orreconnect, and which are also bundled more densely, with multiple fibersbeing held within a single cable. In contrast, the cables connected tothe front of these equipment racks are single fiber cables which may bedisconnected or reconnected often in the course of normal use andconfiguration of the equipment. The higher number of individual cablesand the need to be able to readily move connections require theprovision of clear cable segregation, labeling and organizationproximate to the front connections of these telecommunicationsinstallations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

One aspect of the present invention relates to a cable routing clip witha rear crosspiece and two clip arms. The clip arms define an open-endedslot. In one embodiment, a movable gate extends from the first clip armacross the slot, the clip arms and the mounting tabs being generallylinearly arranged.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute apart of the specification, illustrate several aspects of the inventionand together with the description, serve to explain the principles ofthe invention. A brief description of the drawings is as follows:

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a cable routing clip according tothe present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front-end view of the cable routing clip of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a rear end view of the cable routing clip of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a first side view of the cable routing clip of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a second side view of the cable routing clip of FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is a top view of the cable routing clip of FIG. 1.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the cable routing clip of FIG. 1,taken at line 7—7 in FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is a front perspective view of a bridge mounting for the cablerouting clip of FIG. 1.

FIG. 9 is a top view of the bridge mounting of FIG. 8.

FIG. 10 is a front perspective view of the wall structure for the bridgemounting of FIG. 8.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a cable clip and cable segregatoraccording to the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a bottom view of the cable clip and segregator of FIG. 11.

FIG. 13 is a top view of the cable clip and segregator of FIG. 11.

FIG. 14 is a side view of the cable clip and segregator of FIG. 11.

FIG. 15 is a front view of the cable clip and segregator of FIG. 11.

FIG. 16 is a front perspective view of an alternative embodiment of acable clip and segregator with a gate shown in an open position.

FIG. 17 is a front view of the cable clip and segregator shown in FIG.16 with the gate in a closed position.

FIG. 18 is a detail view of the cable clip and segregator of FIG. 11,showing the area enclosed by circle 16 in FIG. 15.

FIG. 18A is a detail view of a cable slot of the cable clip andsegregator of FIG. 11.

FIG. 19 is a profile of two mounting cutouts in a riser wall formounting the cable clip and segregator of FIG. 11.

FIG. 20 is a front view of a cable riser according the present inventionmounted to the side of a telecommunications equipment rack.

FIG. 21 is a top perspective view of the cable riser of FIG. 20 with the32 individual cable paths indicated.

FIG. 22 is a close-up perspective view of the top of the cable riser ofFIG. 20.

FIG. 23 is a front view of the cable riser of FIG. 20 with the cableclips and segregators 100 numbered and the six groups of clips 100indicated.

FIG. 24 is a front view of alternative embodiment of a cable riseraccording to the present invention.

FIG. 25 is a front view of the cable riser of FIG. 20 showing cableloading according to the present invention.

FIG. 26 is a front perspective view of an alternative embodiment of acable clip according to the present invention, showing the door in anopen position.

FIG. 27 is a front perspective view of the cable clip of FIG. 26 withthe door in a closed position.

FIG. 28 is a rear view of the cable clip of FIG. 27.

FIG. 29 is a front view of the cable clip of FIG. 27.

FIG. 30 is a left side view of the cable clip of FIG. 27.

FIG. 31 is a right side view of the cable clip of FIG. 27.

FIG. 32 is a top view of the cable clip of FIG. 27.

FIG. 33 is a bottom view of the cable clip of FIG. 27.

FIG. 34 is a left side view of a wall including a cutout along the edgefor mounting the cable clip of FIG. 26.

FIG. 35 is a front perspective view of an alternative embodiment of acable routing clip according to the present invention.

FIG. 36 is a top view of the cable routing clip of FIG. 35.

FIG. 37 is a top view of the cable routing clip of FIG. 35 with the gateclosing the slot in an open position.

FIG. 38 is a closer top view of the cable routing clip of FIG. 36showing further detail of the closure mechanism for the gate.

FIG. 39 is a top view of the cable routing clip of FIG. 37 with the cliparms compressed into the slot so that the mounting tabs are spread apartfor insertion into mounting slots in a wall.

FIG. 40 is a front perspective view of the cable routing clip of FIG. 35mounted to a wall.

FIG. 41 is a front perspective exploded view of the cable routing clipof FIG. 40 mounted to a wall.

FIG. 42 is a top cross-sectional view of the cable routing clip of FIG.41 taken perpendicular to the wall at a midpoint of the cable routingclip.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference will now be made in detail to exemplary aspects of the presentinvention that are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Whereverpossible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout thedrawings to refer to the same or like parts.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 through 10, a cable routing clip 10 fororganizing cables is shown. Clip 10 is useful in a variety ofstructures, including a cable riser 200 discussed below, for managingtelecommunications cables. Clip 10 includes two clip arms 12 and 14,which have inner faces 16 and 18, respectively and outer faces 20 and22, respectively. A crosspiece 24 extends between the two clip arms 12and 14, and crosspiece 24 has a front side 26 and a rear side 28. Cliparms 12 and 14 have outer ends 30 and 32, respectively. Retaining tabs34 and 36 are mounted at outer ends 30 and 32 and extend across a slot38 which defined by crosspiece 24, and clip arms 12 and 14. Retainingtabs 34 and 36 have outer faces 40 and 42. Outer faces 20 and 22 ofclips arms 12 and 14, and outer faces 40 of retaining tab 34 are sizedand shaped to receive indicia of the cables held within slot 38. Outerface 42 of retaining tab 36 may also be shaped to receive such indicia.Retaining tabs 34 and 36 cooperate to extend fully across the width ofslot 38. As shown in FIG. 2, the retaining tabs actually overlap by anamount A. Retaining tabs 34 and 36 are less than the height of clip arms12 and 14 and are offset from each other to form a gap 44. Cables may beplaced within or removed from slot 38 by passing the cables through gap44. Clip 10 is made of a resilient, deformable material so that cablesthat might have a diameter or size greater than the width of gap 44 canstill be inserted into slot 38 through gap 44. The overlap A ofretaining tabs 34 and 36 is sufficient to permit some outwarddeformation of clip arms 12 and 14 and still have retaining tabs 34 and36 extending across slot 38. In FIG. 6, retaining tabs 34 and 36 areshown angled slightly in toward slot 38. Cable movement within slot 38may cause a cable to apply pressure to the inside of retaining tabs 34or 36. Biasing the tabs inward toward slot 38 will aid the tabs inresisting this pressure and maintain closure of slot 38 so that no cableare allowed to escape.

Extending longitudinally from rear side 28 of crosspiece 24 are mountingtabs 46 and 48, adapted for mounting clip 10 to a wall of atelecommunications equipment rack, a cable riser, or other suitablelocation. Mounting tabs 46 and 48 are generally parallel with clip arms12 and 14 and generally extend co-linearly with clip arms 12 and 14,respectively. Mounting tabs 46 and 48 are designed to fit into verticaltabs slots in sheet metal walls, such as shown in FIGS. 20 through 23,discussed below. Tabs 46 includes a ramped face 50 and a locking notch54, which is spaced apart from rear side 28 by a distance B. Tab 48,ramped face 52 and locking notch 56 are similarly configured. Distance Bis based upon the thickness of the wall into which clip 10 will beinserted. Thicker walls will require a larger distance B and thinnerwalls will permit a smaller distance B. When tabs 46 and 48 are insertedinto mounting slots in a wall, ramped faces 50 and 52 press against theinner side of the mounting slots to force tabs 46 and 48 to be deformedoutward. After the ramped faces have passed through the mounting slots,tabs 46 and 48, being made of resilient, deformable material return totheir original shape and locking notches 54 and 56 engage the oppositeside of the wall to hold clip 10 in place with face 28 against the wall.In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 through 7, mounting tab 48 has arecess 58, so that tab 48 does not extend to the same height as tab 46.In situations where the insertion orientation of clip 10 needs to befixed, the mounting slot for receiving tab 48 can be made shorter thanthe mounting slot for receiving tab 46, thus forcing clip 10 to mountedin the desired orientation.

Referring now to FIG. 7, a cross-section of clip arms 12 and 14 isshown. Cables passing through slot 38 may be directed to one side or theother after they pass through the slot. To prevent violation of bendradius rules for these cables, inner faces 16 and 18 of clip 10 arecurved.

Referring now to FIGS. 8 through 10, an alternative bridge mountingapproach for clip 10 is shown. In certain installations, it may benecessary or desirable to mount clips to the front of a wall withouthaving the mounting tabs protruding beyond the rear of the wall. A wallsegment 70 is shown, with a front face 60 to which a clip 10 will bemounted. A bridge 62 is formed in the wall 70, protruding from the frontface 60 and having mounting slots 64 and 66 on either side. Mountingtabs 46 and 48 are inserted into slots 64 and 66 as described above andlocking notches 54 and 56 engage the rear of bridge 62. Bridge 62extends far enough out from front 60 of wall 70 so that mounting tabs 46and 48 do not protrude beyond rear face 68 when clip 10 is mounted onwall 70. Mounting slots 64 and 66 shown in FIGS. 8 through 10 are notsized to force the insertion of clip 10 in a particular orientation.

Referring now to FIGS. 11 through 19, the details of a further cableclip 100 with cable segregator 101 are shown. Clip 100 is useful on avariety of structures, including riser 200, for managing cables, as willbe discussed below in greater detail. Clip 100 includes a side 102 andtwo ends, 104 and 106. Side 102 and ends 104 and 106 combine to form anopen sided housing 110 defining an area 108 within the housing. Intoarea 108 extend a series of fingers 112 from side 102, which define aseries of cable slots 114 between them. A slot 114 is also definedbetween a finger 112 and end 104 and a finger 112 and end 106. As shownin the FIGS. a total of seven fingers 112 cooperate with ends 104 and106 to form a total of eight cable slots 114. Each cable slot 114includes a pair of widened cable holding openings 116, giving clip 100 acapacity of sixteen cables. Cable slots 114 are sized so that a ribbonoptical fiber cable 120 can be inserted as shown in FIGS. 15 and 16.Preferably, openings 116 are also sized and shaped to hold a round 3 mmoptical fiber cable 118. While slots 114 are smaller in width than thediameter of cable 118, clip 100 is made of a resilient, deformablematerial which, in cooperation with the cover of cable 118 will permitslots 114 to expand enough to permit the insertion of cable 118. Toprevent ribbon cable 120 from accidentally escaping from slot 114, lip122 on finger 112 provides an entrance to slot 114 which is slightlynarrower than the width of cable 120. To further prevent accidentalescape of cables from slots 114, a gate pivot 124 and a gate latch 126are provided, as shown in FIGS. 16 and 17. A gate 128 with a hinge 130that pivots about pivot 124 and a catch 132 which releasably latches tolatch 126 and which is made of a deformable, resilient material andwhich extends along the ends of fingers 112 to close off slots 114, willserve prevent accidental cable escape.

FIG. 18A shows slots 114 in more detail. Within slot 114 are regions ofvarying width. Beginning at the open end of slot 114, opposite side 102,a width 168 provides an entry for cables being inserted into slot 114.Moving toward side 102, the width of slot 114 then tapers to width 170,defined by the separation of opposing lips 122. Continuing toward side102, the width expands to a nominal width 172. Slot 114 then includesopposing openings 116, defining an expanded width 174. Continuing againin the direction of side 102, the slot returns to a nominal width 176before expanding again with opposing openings 116 defining an expandedwidth 178. Between the last set of opposed openings 166 and side 102,slot 114 returns to a nominal width 180

Also included as part of housing 110 may be trumpet flares 134, 136 and138 extending from end 104, end 106 and side 102, respectively. Thesetrumpet flares serve as radius protection devices for cables 118 and 120extending through slots 114 if the cables are required to changedirection after they pass through slots 114.

Clip 100 is adapted for mounting on a wall of a telecommunicationsequipment rack or to the wall of a cable riser attached to such a rack.This sort of installation is also shown in FIGS. 20 through 23,described below. FIG. 19 shows the shape of a cutout 134 in cable riserwall 136 in which a clip 100 could be mounted. A rear groove 138 in clip100 is defined by pairs of rear tabs 140 for receiving a rear edge 142of cutout 134. A lower groove 144 is defined by a pair of walls 146receives a lower edge 148 of cutout 134, and a lower recess 152 with anend wall 164 is provided at the front end of groove 144 to receive alower tab 150. An upper groove 154 is defined by a pair of walls 156receives an upper edge 158 of cutout 134. From upper edge 158 extends anupper tab 160 which is received in an upper recess 162 formed in thebottom of upper groove 154. To mount a clip 100 to a wall 136 in acutout 134, the following procedure is used: open gate 130; holding clip100 so that rear groove 138 is parallel to wall 136, angle end 106 ofclip 100 into cutout 134 so that upper edge 158 and upper tab 160 engageupper groove 154 and upper recess 162; apply pressure to ends 104 and106 of clip 100 to slightly deform the ends toward each other; pivotlower end 104 into cutout 134 so that lower edge 148 and rear edge 142are engaged by lower groove 144 and rear groove 138, respectively; withclip 100 still slightly deformed by pressure on ends 104 and 106, lowertab will move past end wall 164 and into recess 152; and releasing thepressure on ends 104 and 106 to allow clip 100 to regain its defaultshape and have end wall 164 engage lower tab 150 to hold clip 100 withincutout 134.

Referring now to FIGS. 20 through 25, a cable riser 200 with cablerouting clips 10 and cable clips 100 with segregators 101 is shown.Riser 200 is attached to a telecommunications equipment rack 202, inwhich may be mounted a wide variety of telecommunications equipmentwhich have a large number of ribbon cables 120 or 3 mm cables 118attached to them. Riser 200 as shown is designed to work with aequipment rack 202 containing a total of 32 cable connection modules,with each module including up to 16 optical fiber connections and havingup to 16 optical fiber cables exiting from each module into riser 200. Aclip 100 is provided along an inner wall 204 of riser 200 for eachmodule in rack 202. The trumpet flares of these clips 100 serve toprovide bend radius protection to the cables exiting rack 202 throughclips 100 into riser 200 as these cables transition from horizontalpassage within rack 202 to vertical passage within riser 200. Riser 200is composed of inner wall 204, a rear angle wall 206, a rear wall 208,an intermediate bulkhead 210 and an outer wall 212. In FIG. 21, mountingtabs 46 and 48 of clips 10 can be seen extending through bulkhead 210and outer wall 212. A series of holes 214 through rear wall 208 allowriser 200 to be mounted adjacent a rack 202 using screws or othersimilar fasteners. A series of holes 216 through flange 218 of bulkhead210 and also extending through rear wall 208 allow bulkhead 210 to bemounted within riser 200 using screws, bolts or similar fasteners. Asshown in FIG. 24, riser 201 is a mirror image of riser 200 for mountingon the opposite side of rack 202.

Clips 10 are mounted within riser 200 so as to provide a distinct cablepath 220 to each set of up to 16 cables extending through each of theclips 100. A total of 32 cables paths 220, each capable of handling upto 16 cables are defined, as shown in FIG. 22. Each cable path 220 isindicated by a circled number associated with the top most clip 10 inthat cable path. The numbers for each cable path correspond to numbersassigned to each clip 100, with the topmost clip 100 labeled 1 and thebottommost clip 100 labeled 32, as shown on FIG. 23. Sixteen cable paths220 are located within the inner channel 222, defined by inner wall 204,angled wall 206, rear wall 208, and bulkhead 210, providing cablerouting and organization to cables exiting from the topmost sixteenclips 100 mounted on inner wall 204. Sixteen additional cable paths 220are located within outer channel 224, defined by bulkhead 210, rear wall208 and outer wall 212, providing cable routing and organization forcables exiting the bottommost sixteen clips 100 mounted on inner wall204.

Clips 100 are in one of six groups, as shown in FIGS. 23 and 25. Thegroupings of clips 100 correspond to the location of the cable pathwayfor each clip 100 as defined by clips 10 mounted in riser 200. The firstfive clips 100, numbered 1 through 5, are in Group I and cables exitingfrom this group of clips feed into paths 220 numbered 1 through 5, whichare mounted on inner wall 204 and on angled wall 206. Group II includesthe next 6 clips 100, numbered 6 through 11, and the cables from theseclips feed into paths 220 numbered 6 through 11, which are mounted onrear wall 208 within inner channel 222. Group III includes the clips 100numbered 12 through 16 and cables from these clips feed into paths 220numbered 12 through 16, which are mounted on bulkhead 210 within innerchannel 222. Group IV includes clips 100 numbered 17 through 21 andcables from the clips feed into paths 220 numbered 17 through 21 mountedon bulkhead 210 within outer channel 224. Group V includes clips 100numbered 22 through 27 and cables from the clips feed into paths 220numbered 22 through 27 mounted on rear wall 208 within outer channel224. Group VI includes clips 100 numbered 28 through 32 and cables fromthe clips feed into paths 220 numbered 28 through 32 mounted on outerwall 212 within outer channel 224.

The pattern for loading cable would generally be counter clockwise for ariser 200 and clockwise for a riser 201. As shown in the FIGS. path 220numbered 32 will hold the cables from clip 100 numbered 32. Clip 100numbered 32 is the lowest mounted clip 100 in riser 200 and path 220numbered 32 is the furthest clockwise-located path 220 in riser 200.Clip 100 numbered 31 is the next lowest mounted clip 100 and the cablefrom this clip will be held within path 220 numbered 31, locatedcounterclockwise from path 220 numbered 32 within outer channel 224 ofriser 200. Moving to the next highest mounted clip 100, up to clip 100numbered 17, the cables from each successive numbered clip will be heldby the next counterclockwise located cable path within outer channel224. Moving up to clip 100 numbered 16, the cables from this clip willpass into most clockwise mounted path 220 numbered 16 within innerchannel 222. Moving up to clip 100 numbered 15, the cables from thisclip will be held by the next counterclockwise mounted path 220 numbered15. Moving to the next highest mounted clip 100, up to clip 100 numbered1, the cables from each successive numbered clip will be held by thenext counterclockwise located cable path within inner channel 222. Thesame cable loading pattern can be applied within riser 201, except thatthe cables from each successive higher mounted clip 100 feeding into aparticular channel will be held by the next successive clockwise mountedpath 220.

With the potential of 512 total cables passing through riser 200, somemanner of coding the clips 10 which combine to make up the 32 differentpaths 220 is desirable. The maximum number of paths 220 within eachgroup of clips 100 is six. Therefore, if six distinctly marked orcolored versions of clip 10 are provided, each path 220 within riser 200can be uniquely identified by a combination of color or marking,designation of inner or outer channel, and which wall within the channelthe clips are mounted on. For example, a series of black clips 10 alongouter wall 212 in the outer channel 224 would define path 220 forrouting the cables from clip 100 numbered 28. White clips 10 alongbulkhead 210 in inner channel 222 would define path 220 for routingcables from clip 100 numbered 15. Alternatively, indicia signifyingwhich path 220 a clip 10 belongs to could be placed on front face 40,first outer face 20 or second outer face 22, depending on how the clipis mounted within the riser, so that the indicia could be easily seen bya person in front of the riser.

If higher densities of cabling are required for a particulartelecommunications equipment rack, riser 200 could include more than oneintermediate bulkhead 210 and thereby provide a greater number ofchannels and thereby of cable paths 220. Alternatively, if the densityof cabling for an equipment rack is not as high, bulkhead 210 could beremoved from riser 200 and the number of paths 220 reduced. The codingscheme for clips 10 described above is adaptable to both higher andlower density alternatives of riser 200.

Referring now to FIGS. 26 through 33, an alternative embodiment cableclip 300 is shown, without a segregator extending from side 102 intoarea 108. Clip 300 includes a gate 328 connected to housing 110 by athinned area capable of being repeatedly flexed, forming a living hinge330. Gate 328 includes a curved inner surface 314 and a pair of outerstiffening ribs 312, which cooperate to resist deflection of gate 328.At an end of gate 328 opposite hinge 330 is a catch 332 which includesan outer wall 306 and an inner wall 310 which define an opening 308.Opening 308 receives a latch 326 which is on end 106 of housing 110.Latch 326 includes a ramped surface 302, a ledge 304 and a leading edge305. As gate 328 is swung closed across opening 108, pivoting abouthinge 330, leading edge 305 enters opening 308. As gate 328 is closedfurther, ramped surface 302 engages outer wall 306 of catch 332,deflecting catch 332 downward. Ramped surface 302 passes through opening108 followed by ledge 304. When ledge 304 has extended through opening108 beyond outer wall 306, latch 332 returns to its original positionand ledge 304 is captively held within opening 308 by outer wall 306,releasably holding gate 328 in a closed position.

While in the closed position, inner wall 310 of gate 328 is adjacent asurface 303 on end 106 beneath catch 326. In addition, outer shoulders316 and 318 located on the end of gate 328 opposite hinge 330 on eitherside of catch 332, engage extensions 360 and 362, respectively, whichproject from end 106 away from side 102 on either side of latch 326.Inner wall 310 cooperates with surface 303, and extensions 360 and 362cooperate with shoulders 316 and 318 to allow gate 328 to help resistdeflection of end 106 into opening 108.

FIG. 34 shows a cutout 334 for mounting clip 300 to wall 136. Toposition clip 300 into cutout 334, the procedure described above withregard to positioning clip 100 within cutout 134 is followed. Removal ofclip 300 from cutout 334 involves a reversal of the procedure, whereinends 104 and 106 must be compressed toward each other into area 108 todisengage upper tab 160 from upper groove 154 and opening 162. When clip300 has been positioned within cutout 334 and gate 328 is moved to theclosed position, the cooperation of inner wall 310 with surface 303 andextensions 360 and 362 with shoulders 316 and 318 allows gate 328 toprovide additional resistance against deflection of ends 104 and 106. Inthis way, gate 328 can help prevent an accidental removal of clip 300from cutout 334. Further, the cooperation of catch 332 and latch 326will aid in preventing accidental opening of gate 328 that might becaused by accidental deflection of either ends 104 and 106 or of gate328. Outer ribs 312 also help gate 328 resist deflection, such as mightbe caused by a cable within area 108 pressing against inner surface 314.

Referring now to FIGS. 35 through 37, an alternative embodiment cablerouting clip 400 with a movable gate 440 closing access through thefront into slot 38. Gate 440 is hingedly attached to distal end 30 ofclip arm 12 by a living hinge 402. As shown in FIGS. 36 and 37, atdistal end 32 of clip arm 14 is a catch 406 which engages a latch 404 ongate 440 to hold gate 440 in the closed position.

Referring now to FIG. 38, further details of gate 440, latch 404 andcatch 406 are shown. Latch 404 includes an extension 408 with a rampedsurface 410 and a finger tab 412. Catch 406 includes a recess 414 forreceiving extension 408 which includes a ramped surface 416, anextension 422 at distal end 32 with a ramped surface 424. On gate 440adjacent latch 404 are a recess 418 for receiving extension 422, recess418 having a ramped surface 420.

The cooperation of latch 404 with catch 406, including the interactionof ramped surfaces 410 and 416 in cooperation with the interaction oframped surfaces 420 and 424 help prevent gate 440 from accidentallyopening due to pressure exerted on either clip arm 12 or 14, or on gate440. Pressure exerted on inner surface 18 of clip arm 14 would tend tomove extension 408 deeper into recess 414, preventing gate 440 frombeing forced open accidentally. Pressure exerted on an inner face 442 ofgate 440 would be prevented from forcing gate 440 open by interaction oframped surfaces 410 and 416. The angling of ramped surfaces 410 and 416as shown in FIG. 38 also allows gate 440 to be biased to an openposition, as shown in FIG. 37, and for such biasing to be resisted bycatch 406 and latch 404 when gate 440 is closed. Pressure exertedagainst inner face 16 of clip arm 12 would tend to pull distal end 30and living hinge 402 away from clip arm 14, which would tend to moveextension 408 deeper into recess 414, preventing gate 440 fromaccidentally opening. So pressure exerted against any of the innersurfaces of cable routing clip 400 which might cause gate 440 toaccidentally open are resisted by catch 406 and latch 404. Such pressureon the inner surfaces of cable routing clip 400 might be caused by thepulling on cables which are held within slot 38.

Catch 406 and latch 404 also are configured to resist pressure exertedagainst outer surfaces 20 or 22 of clip arms 12 and 14, or against anouter surface 444 of gate 440 from accidentally opening gate 440.Pressure exerted against outer surface 20 of clip 12 would push distalend 30 toward distal end 32 and tend to push extension 408 out of recess414. However, prior to extension 408 being displaced far enough to moveout of recess 414, ramped surfaces 420 and 424 would engage one anotherand move distal end 32 and recess 414 in the same direction as extension408. The angling of ramped surface 420 and 424 will also tend to pushrecess 418 away from extension 422 and draw ramped surfaces 410 and 416into contact with each other, which will also help prevent thedisengagement of catch 406 and latch 404.

Similarly, pressure exerted on outer surface 22 of clip arm 14 will tendto displace distal end 32 toward distal end 30, which will also bringramped surfaces 420 and 424 into contact. The interaction of rampedsurfaces 420 and 424 will push recess 418 away from extension 422 anddraw ramped surfaces 410 and 416 into contact with each other, whichwill also help prevent the disengagement of catch 406 and latch 404.Pressure exerted on outer surface 444 of gate 440 would also tend tobring ramped surfaces 420 and 424 into contact, which will in turn tendto push distal end 32 away from slot 38 and more deeply engage extension408 within recess 414.

To release gate 440 from the closed position of FIG. 36, a user wouldexert pressure against finger tab 412 in the direction of an arrow 446.Since cable routing clip 400 is made of a resilient deformable material,sufficient pressure in the direction of arrow 446 will deflect extension408 enough to remove extension 408 from recess 414 and allow gate 440 tobe freely moved to the open position of FIG. 37. In moving gate 440 tothe closed position shown, extension 408 of latch 404 first engagesextension 422 of clip arm 14 and must deflect outward before extension408 engages recess 414. Once extension 408 reaches recess 414, latch 404returns to the nondeflected position, and thereby positively snaps intorecess 414.

As an alternative mounting method to that described above with regard tocable routing clip 10, cable routing clip 400 may be mounted to a wall448, as shown in FIG. 40, with the following steps: placing gate 440 inan open position, as shown in FIG. 37; exerting pressure on outersurfaces 20 and 22 of clip arms 12 and 14, causing clip arms 12 and 14to be displaced into slot 38 toward each other, as shown in FIG. 39;this in turn will force some bending of crosspiece 24 and displace tabs46 and 48 away from each other; tabs 46 and 48 are inserted into tabslots 450 and 452, respectively, as shown in FIG. 41; and pressure isreleased from outer surfaces 20 and 22 of clip arms 12 and 14, allowingcable routing clip 400 to return to the configuration shown in FIG. 37.It is anticipated that either of the described methods can be used tomount either of the described embodiments of cable routing clip 10 or400 to a wall 448 including appropriate length tab slots 450 and 452.

When mounting cable routing clip 10 or 400 to a wall, it is desirablefor the clip to fit securely to the wall without excessive movement.However, as stated above, this requires that distance B be approximatelythe same thickness as the wall. Alternatively, for mounting a clip 10 or400 to a wall 448 with a thickness T which is less than distance B, asshown in FIG. 42, a feature such as a dimple 454 may be formed in wall448 between tab slots 450 and 452. Dimple 454 rests against outersurface 28 of crosspiece 24 and offsets outer surface 28 away from wall448. The amount of offset required, and thus the height of dimple 454 isdetermined by the difference between distance B and thickness T. Thiswill permit a cable routing clip 10 or 400 to have a standard distance Bbetween outer surface 28 of crosspiece 24 and locking notches 54 and 56,and still be adaptable to mounting on walls of varying thickness, up toa maximum thickness of B.

With regard to the foregoing description, it is to be understood thatchanges may be made in detail, especially in matters of the constructionmaterials employed and the shape, size and arrangement of the partswithout the scope of the present invention. It is intended that thespecification and depicted aspects be considered exemplary only, with atrue scope and spirit of the invention being indicated by the broadmeaning of the following claims.

What is claimed is as follows:
 1. A cable routing clip for mounting on awall comprising: a crosspiece having two opposite sides; a first cliparm, and a second clip arm extending from one side of the crosspiece,the crosspiece and the first and second clip arms cooperating to definea slot for receiving cables; a first mounting tab and a second mountingtab extending from the side of the crosspiece opposite the first andsecond clip arms, the first and second mounting tabs being spaced apart;an outer surface of the first clip arm and an outer surface of the firstmounting tab linearly arranged, and an outer surface of the second cliparm and an outer surface of the second mounting tab linearly arranged,and the first and second mounting tabs including a sloped face and alocking notch, the sloped face and locking notch of the first mountingtab opposing the sloped face and locking notch of the second mountingtab, and the first and second mounting tabs being sized and shaped forinsertion into a first generally rectangular mounting slot and a secondgenerally rectangular mounting slot, respectively, in the wall.
 2. Thecable routing clip of claim 1, wherein a gate is mounted to a distal endof the first clip arm by a living hinge, the gate movable about theliving hinge between an open position allowing access into the slot anda closed position where the gate blocks access to the slot.
 3. The cablerouting clip of claim 2, wherein a distal end of the second clip armincludes a catch and the gate includes a latch opposite the living hingewhich releasably engages the catch to hold the gate in the closedposition.
 4. The cable routing clip of claim 3, wherein latch includes afinger tab and an extension, the catch includes a recess on the outersurface of the second clip arm to receive the extension of the latch,the recess of the catch including a first ramped surface which is angledwith respect to the outer surface of the clip arm and the extension ofthe latch including a second ramped surface angled similarly to thefirst ramped surface when the gate is in the closed position, the firstand second ramped surfaces angled so that movement of the gate towardthe open position from the closed position without releasing the latchfrom the catch will push the extension of the latch deeper into therecess of the catch.
 5. The cable routing clip of claim 4, wherein thedistal end of the second clip arm includes an extension and the gateadjacent the latch includes a recess to receive the extension of theclip arm when the gate is in the closed position, the recess of the gateincluding a third ramped surface angled with respect to an inner surfaceof the gate, and the extension of the second clip arm including a fourthramped surface angled similarly to the third ramped surface when thegate is in the closed position, the third and fourth ramped surfacesangled to that displacement of the gate toward the slot when the gate isin the closed position will push the distal end of the second clip armtoward the latch of the gate.
 6. A cable routing clip comprising: acrosspiece having two opposite sides; a first clip arm, and a secondclip arm extending from one side of the crosspiece, the crosspiece andthe first and second clip arms cooperating to define a slot forreceiving cables; a first mounting tab and a second mounting tabextending from the side of the crosspiece opposite the first and secondclip arms, the first and second mounting tabs being spaced apart; a gatehingedly attached to a distal end of the first clip arm and movable to aclosed position where a catch on a distal end of the second clip armreleasably engages a latch on the gate; and the first and secondmounting tabs including a sloped face and a locking notch, the slopedface and locking notch of the first mounting tab opposing the slopedface and locking notch of the second mounting tab, and the first andsecond mounting tabs being sized and shaped for insertion into a firstgenerally rectangular mounting slot and a second generally rectangularmounting slot, respectively, in the wall.
 7. The cable routing clip ofclaim 6, wherein the gate is mounted to the distal end of the first cliparm by a living hinge.
 8. The cable routing clip of claim 6, wherein adistal end of the second clip arm includes a catch and the gate includesa latch opposite the living hinge which releasably engages the catch tohold the gate in the closed position.
 9. The cable routing clip of claim7, wherein latch includes a finger tab and an extension, the catchincludes a recess on the outer surface of the second clip arm to receivethe extension of the latch, the recess of the catch including a firstramped surface which is angled with respect to the outer surface of theclip arm and the extension of the latch including a second rampedsurface angled similarly to the first ramped surface when the gate is inthe closed position, the first and second ramped surfaces angled so thatmovement of the gate toward the open position from the closed positionwithout releasing the latch from the catch will push the extension ofthe latch deeper into the recess of the catch.
 10. The cable routingclip of claim 9, wherein the distal end of the second clip arm includesan extension and the gate adjacent the latch includes a recess toreceive the extension of the clip arm when the gate is in the closedposition, the recess of the gate including a third ramped surface angledwith respect to an inner surface of the gate, and the extension of thesecond clip arm including a fourth ramped surface angled similarly tothe third ramped surface when the gate is in the closed position, thethird and fourth ramped surfaces angled to that displacement of the gatetoward the slot when the gate is in the closed position will push thedistal end of the second clip arm toward the latch of the gate.
 11. Thecable routing clip of claim 6, wherein the locking notches of the firstand second mounting tabs are offset from the side of the crosspiece by adistance and the first and second mounting tabs of the cable routingclip are inserted into first and second generally rectangular mountingslots, respectively, in a wall having a thickness generally equal to thedistance of offset.
 12. The cable routing clip of claim 6, wherein thelocking notches of the first and second mounting tabs are offset fromthe side of the crosspiece by a distance and the first and secondmounting tabs of the cable routing clip are inserted into first andsecond generally rectangular mounting slots, respectively, in a wallhaving a thickness less than the distance of offset, and the wallincludes a dimple between the generally rectangular mounting slots whichprotrudes from the wall, the dimple protruding beyond the wall adistance which added to the thickness is generally equal to the distanceof offset.